Michael Gorden, Avi’Yam Jordan and Mattie Rush
MC301 Contributors
Campaign season is in full swing with Student Government positions up for grabs for the 2014-2015 academic school year.
This year’s SGA elections included some new components to give Jackson State University students a glimpse of the qualifications, platforms and personality of the candidates.
These new components included formal debates for SGA president, SGA vice president, and chief justice and a debate for the top three contenders for Miss JSU.
During the SGA debates, the candidates were asked a series of questions by a panel of student election commissioners followed by audience questions.
“The questions were not geared towards making the candidates stumble, they were more geared towards seeing if these candidates knew how to execute the job of their perspective positions, ” said Maurice Martin, a senior criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill who served as one of the election commissioners.
The two candidates for the chief justice position were the first to debate, Charance Wright and Chelsea Turner.
The Vice president debates included two candidates, Michael Gorden and Keith January.
“The most important debate to me was the VP debates, because that is the person who will be filling my shoes and they have pretty big shoes to fill,” said T’Erica Hudson, a senior criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill.
The three candidates for SGA President included: Keonte Turner, Rashad Sayles and Shontrice Garrett.
Turner’s platform is “The Man with the Plan and the Plan is Y.O.U. (Year of Unity); Sayles’ platform is “ACTions Speak Louder than Words” (Accountability, Credibility, Transparency); and Garrett’s platform is G.R.O.W with Garrett (Greatness Redefined through Opportunity and Work).
Many of the students in attendance were eager to see how candidates would respond to questions from the audience.
“It was my first time attending a Student Government Association debate, so it was really interesting. I felt like certain candidates went around the questions instead of being straight forward and to the point, yet it was very helpful as to making my decision as to who I am voting for, ” said Shawnice Wilmore, a senior social work major from Kansas City, Mo.
Henry Goss, a sophomore mass communications major from Jackson, Miss. said the questions were the most interesting thing about the debates.
“The questions were crazy! They were asking those candidates all types of questions that I can tell were hitting home on an emotional level,” said Goss.
Rashad Moore, a sophomore criminal justice major from Jackson, Miss., agreed.
“The questions they were asking were too personal at times, but it was good to see which candidate could answer questions under pressure,” said Moore.
The debate for JSU royalty took place on April 7 with the three candidates for Miss JSU fielding questions from students in attendance on how they would impact the university if they were to wear the crown.
The potential queens; Anissa Butler, Jennifer Cotten and Ebonee Swilley were provided with questions from, faculty, students, the current Miss JSU Deja Knight, and former Miss JSU, Mea Ashley, 2011-2012.
Questions were posed to the candidates on leadership, community and having the ability to relate to the students on a personal level gave the students an opportunity to understand who the ladies were and how they plan to take Jackson State to the next level.
All candidates discussed mentorship plans in their platforms.
If elected, Butler stated that she would like to continue the current mentorship programs at the university and have more interaction with Blackburn Middle School.
If elected, Swilley stated that she would to start “Regal Connection”, a mentorship program similar to the Gentlemen’s Academy, which will reach out to girls in the community.
If elected, Cotten stated that she would polish the mentorship programs that the university already has in place to produce the results that the university needs.
Elections for SGA positions including President and Miss JSU will take place on Friday, April 11 in the Student Center on the second floor Commuter Lounge. Results will be announced at 5 p.m.
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